Pet Peeve: The dregs of a keg

From the Pet Peeves in Bars Department, here's an exchange on Twitter between Fritz Hahn —Bars and Clubs editor/reporter for the Washington Post's Going Out Guide— and The Big Hunt —a multi-tap beer bar in Washington, D.C.

Bartenders: if a keg kicks while pouring my pint, do not give me the dregs to drink while i'm waiting for a new keg. I won't thank you.less than a minute ago via txtFritz Hahn
fritzhahn

To which, The Big Hunt replied:

Really? Its not the equivalent of backwash...RT @fritzhahn: if a keg kicks, dont give me the dregs to drink while i'm waiting for a new keg.less than a minute ago via EchofonThe Big Hunt
bighuntdc

Fritz Tweeted back:

@bighuntdc It's happened a couple of times recently @ different places. Old beer, slightly past its date, vague metallic taste. No thanks.less than a minute ago via BrizzlyFritz Hahn
fritzhahn

The Big Hunt concluded:

@fritzhahn if that's the case I understand. I have always thought it a courtesy (and ask if the customer would like it while they wait)less than a minute ago via EchofonThe Big Hunt
bighuntdc

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• The Twitter screenshots were created using Blackbird Pie. The program didn't get the timing correct, however. The exchange occurred Thursday night/Friday morning.
• Follow this blog (i.e., me) on Twitter @Cizauskas.
  

Free goods

Yesterday, I overheared this recounting at a bar: "As she left, she told us in a loud voice that she was a restaurant blogger."

I was reminded of a recent post by British beer author/blogger Pete Brown. He was writing about the boorish behaviour of a certain group of beer drinkers, when he wrote this:

But I have never - in my life - walked into any pub and either demanded or expected a free or discounted drink because of who I am, or what I do. If I did, I would expect and deserve to be called a complete and utter fucking twat by anyone who witnessed it.

In my 20+ year career in the beer (and restaurant) business, I have watched as customers and managers and salespersons and reviewers have harangued others for free goods. A free drink, a free meal, a free keychain, and often more substantial.

The business may have been more 'cut-throat' in the bad old days, but never would these good folk today think their actions boorish at best or tantamount to soliciting a bribe at worst. Oh, banish the thought! It's ethics, Mr. Beer Writer and Ms. Beer Customer. It's ethics, Mr. Beer Salesman and Ms. Restaurant Manager.

And plain old civil manners.

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• Caveat lector: I sell beer and wine in northern Virginia.
• Be sure to read the comments to this post.

Clamps & Gaskets: Roundup for Week 17

Week 17
25 April 2010 - 1 May 2010

• 2010.05.01
  Be kind to your neighbors today. One might be brewing beer. It's National Homebrew Day. http://bit.ly/9c0sjw

• 2010.04.30
  After 2 decades of importing Scottish (& English) beer, Sherri & Patrick Casey —founders of Legends, Ltd.— retire. http://bit.ly/dAOnWV
• 2010.04.30
  Map of cask-conditioned beers in Boston and New England. http://bit.ly/9fzI9h
• 2010.04.30
  British National Brewing Museum opens... and they serve Champagne??!! http://bit.ly/aqhOgu
• 2010.04.30
  Twitter #FollowFriday. For whisky: @the_nose Richard Patterson of Whyte & Mackay. For whiskey (and whisky): @JohnHansell of Malt Advocate.
• 2010.04.30
  Brookston Bulletin interview with new owners of Anchor Brewing: My Lunch With Keith Greggor. http://cli.gs/s270n
• 2010.04.29
  The 'official' announcement: Baltimore, Maryland brewpub The Brewer's Art to contract with Sly Fox Brewing in Pennsylvania to can its Resurrection Ale. To be available in late May 2010. http://bit.ly/d6UtFL
• 2010.04.28
  In 1984, Apple ran a famous ad about overthrowing Big Brother. Now, "Look in the mirror, man,” says Jon Stewart: http://tcrn.ch/bTa2GI
• 2010.04.28
  In defense of Marmite: http://n.pr/9BnzMW
• 2010.04.28
  Baltimore, Maryland breweries Stillwater Ales and Pratt Street Alehouse brew a 'collaboration' beer. http://bit.ly/cfjklK
• 2010.04.28
  In Pakistan, a brewery's recipe for 150 years of survival amid alcohol restrictions. http://bit.ly/9PwMcp
• 2010.04.28
  Reviewed: Drink Local Wine 2010 exposition (held in northern Virginia, 25 April). http://bit.ly/9kYeAY
• 2010.04.28
  Congratulations! The Brewers Art wins Restaurant Association of Maryland 2010 award for Favorite Bar and Tavern. http://bit.ly/c5fXEB
• 2010.04.28
  Mead and homebrew: "American Abbey Project" at a Washington, D.C. monastery. http://bit.ly/cFMIFI
• 2010.04.27
  Tickets now on sale for the Great British Beer Festival, London, 3-7 August 2010. http://bit.ly/hTVHL
• 2010.04.26
  'Nitro': Good or bad for craft beer? http://bit.ly/9nfBbk
• 2010.04.26
  North Carolina farmer Joe Thompson to use a brewery's spent grains to feed —not cows but— prawns. http://ow.ly/1D3G0
• 2010.04.26
  For environmental commitment and outdoor activity, New Belgium and Alaskan Brewing among Top 50 best companies to work for. http://bit.ly/aK4TMw
• 2010.04.26
  Over the next 5 years, China to account for 50% of beer sales growth, 33% of wine sales growth. http://is.gd/bIhXx
• 2010.04.25
  Drink much? Asparagus' amino acids and minerals ease hangovers and protect liver cells. http://bit.ly/bHwJM
• 2010.04.25
  How to pronounce "Eyjafjallajokull," the Icelandic volcano: "(H)AY yah FYAH tlah YUR goolkh": http://su.pr/1Kinoq
• 2010.04.25
  Cask Ale Tradition - Imbibe Magazine: http://bit.ly/bxiAUS
• 2010.04.25
  The 1st 8th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational: http://bit.ly/K1Gp

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• Clamps and Gaskets is a weekly wrap-up of stories  not posted at Yours For Good Fermentables.com. Most deal with beer (or wine, or whisky); some do not. But all are brief, and many are re-posts from my Twitter account: twitter.com/cizauskas.
• The Clamps and Gaskets graphic was created by Mike Licht at NotionsCapital.

Pic(k) of the Week: Fine Wine from Austria

I got lucky with the lighting and composition of this photograph.

Good early evening sunlight was streaming through the windows, providing high contrast. Holding the bottle of Hillinger Welschriesling was Michael Hoeffken —assistant winemaker and sommelier for Hillinger Winery in Austria. The occasion was a tutored tasting at Northdown Social, a coffee and wine café in the Clarendon district of Arlington, Virginia.

The Welschriesling grape produces light, bright white wines, with aromatic hints of apple and citrus. It is not related to the Riesling varietal.

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• Caveat lector: As an employee of Select Wines, Inc. —a wine (and beer) wholesaler in northern Virginia— I sell Hillinger wines, imported by KWSelection.
• View the map of Austrian wine regions online at austrianwine.com.
• The rest of the shoot from 28 April 2010: here.
• Pic(k) of the Week: one in a weekly series of personal photos, often posted on Saturdays.

May is Mild Ale Month

May is Mild Month, as declared by the UK's Campaign for Real Ale, or CAMRA.

Milds are black to dark brown to pale amber in colour and come in a variety of styles from warming roasty ales to light refreshing lunchtime thirst quenchers. Malty and possibly sweet tones dominate the flavour profile but there may be a light hop flavour or aroma. Slight diacetyl (toffee/butterscotch) flavours are not inappropriate. Alcohol levels are typically low.

Pale milds tend to have a lighter, more fruity aroma with gentle hoppiness.

Dark milds may have a light roast malt or caramel character in aroma and taste.

Scottish cask beers may have mild characteristics with a dominance of sweetness, smooth body and light bitterness.

Original gravity: less than 1043
Typical alcohol by volume: less than 4.3%
Final gravity 1004 - 1010
Bitterness 14 - 28 EBU